END OF THE LINE A Short film directed by Jessica Sanders Based on a story by Aimee Bender Staring Simon Helberg & Brett Gelman Refinery29 & TNT’s Shatterbox Anthology Film Series RT: 14 minutes Official Selection: SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2018 PRESS CONTACT: Suzy Berkowitz – REFINERY29 212-966-3112 office, [email protected] 225 Broadway, Floor 23 New York, NY 10007 FILMAKERS: Refinery29 & TNT present END OF THE LINE A film by Jessica Sanders Staring: Simon Helberg Brett Gelman Vivian Bang Kate Micucci Directed by Jessica Sanders Based on a Story by Aimee Bender Screenplay by Joanne Giger Produced by Jessica Sanders & Louise Shore Production Designer Justin Trask Cinematographer Brett Pawlak Visual Effects Eva Flodstrom Editors Claudia Castello & Stephen Berger Costume Designer Shirley Kurata Re-recording Mixer Elmo Webber Composer Pedro Bromfman Executive Producers Jeffrey Pechter, John Jencks, Adam & Steve Gunther, Preston Lee, Amy Emmerich, Shannon Gibson, Stone Roberts An Altina Films production 14 MINUTES USA, 2018 IN ENGLISH 5.1 Dolby Digital 1:85 VISIT Website: www.endofthelineshortfilm.com Instagram: #endofthelineshortfilm Facebook: Endofthelineshortfilm LOGLINE: A lonely man goes to the pet store and buys a tiny man in a cage. ABOUT THE FILM END OF THE LINE is a short film directed by Jessica Sanders based on acclaimed writer Aimee Bender's surrealist short story about a lonely man who goes to the pet store and buys a tiny man in a cage. The story explores themes of power and the abuse of power in a highly creative and unusual way. Starring Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory, Florence Foster Jenkins) and Brett Gelman (Stranger Things, Lemon). END OF THE LINE is part of Refinery29 & TNT's award-winning Shatterbox Anthology, a short film series dedicated to supporting the voices of female filmmakers. ABOUT THE DIRECTOR Jessica Sanders is an Academy Award-nominated, Sundance and Cannes winning filmmaker and commercial director. Steve Jobs hand picked Jessica to direct Apple's iPad launch spot. Her Sony “Make Believe” film won the prestigious Young Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Jessica directed, produced and wrote AFTER INNOCENCE, a feature documentary film about innocent men wrongfully convicted of crimes, cleared by DNA evidence and their struggle to reenter society after spending decades in prison. The film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. Jessica's next feature documentary MARCH OF THE LIVING, filmed in Brazil, Germany, Poland, Israel and the US followed teens and Holocaust survivors traveling to the sites of the Holocaust in Poland in a journey of remembrance. Produced by Brazil's biggest production company, Conspiracao Films and Filmland. Jessica is directing PICKING COTTON, a narrative scripted feature based on the best-selling book by Jennifer Thompson, Ronald Cotton and Erin Torneo. She was awarded the Sloan Science Foundation grant at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Discovery Award at Los Cabos Film Festival to develop the film. The movie is based on a story in her Sundance-winning film AFTER INNOCENCE about the vicious rape of Jennifer Thompson, a white college student by a black man, who she identified as Ronald Cotton. Ronald spent 11 years in prison before he was declared innocent after DNA testing and was released from prison. The movie’s story is about forgiveness as Jennifer and Ronald forge a deep friendship and together are activists for criminal justice reform. Jessica’s comedic work is reflected in BUNION, a short romantic comedy she directed with Alia Shawkat (Search Party), Michaela Watkins (Casual) and Avi Rothman. Film Critic Elvis Mitchell curated it for LACMA’s Young Diretor Series. Jessica also directed the ALMOST ASIAN web-series created by Katie Malia and she is directing the improvised comedy feature I WANT TO FEEL FUN with comedian Little Esther (Alone Together), Simon Rex, Avi Rothman and others. Her work can be seen at www.jessicasandersfilm.com DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT - JESSICA SANDERS I have always loved Aimee Bender’s surreal and unusual stories. Her twisted tale about power, END OF THE LINE from her short story collection WILLFUL CREATURES has stayed with me since I read it in 2005. The story of a man who goes to the pet store to purchase a tiny man in a cage explores social class, desire and power. It’s dark, funny, sad, scary and exhilarating. As a director, I love playing with touches of surrealism from my first short film, the award-winning LOS ANGELS about a girl born with a birthmark in the likeness of the Great Wall of China on her stomach. END OF THE LINE explores themes I’ve longtime been interested in, power and it’s abuse, but explored in a highly unusual and creative way. I enjoy films that explore the surrealism grounded in the natural world from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, BEING JOHN MALKOVITCH to the giant vagina scene in Pedro Almodovar’s TALK TO HER. As a director I was excited to make a film that would challenge myself visually, with large art builds (we built a 25ft cage and a 30 ft penis) and Visual Effects. I collaborated with the most incredible creative team of artists, working closely with production designer Justin Trask (Apple), Visual Effects Supervisor Eva Flodstrom (Star Wars, Star Trek), Cinematographer Brett Pawlak (Glass Castle, Short Term 12), Costume Designer Shirley Kurata (Rodarte), Editors Claudia Castello (Creed, Fruitvale Station) and Stephen Berger (I’m Here), Screenwriter Joanne Giger (Mes Copines) and producer Louise Shore (Unlovable). Actors Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory, Florence Foster Jenkins) and Brett Gelman (Stranger Things, Lemon) brought so much humanity and emotion to Little Man and Big Man. The film could not have been made without the support of Refinery29 and TNT’s Shatterbox film series to support female filmmakers. Making this film has been a creative dream come true. REFINERY29 & TNT'S SHATTERBOX ANTHOLOGY FILM SERIES END OF THE LINE is part of Refinery29 & TNT's Award-winning Shatterbox Anthology, a short film series dedicated to supporting the voices of female filmmakers. The series has become known for providing female filmmakers the opportunity to bring their directorial visions to life. Both new and veteran filmmakers are providing audiences with creative storytelling that tackles gender, sexuality and power, all under the umbrella of the female experience in this world. CAST SIMON HELBERG Simon Helberg is best known for portraying “Howard Wolowitz” in CBS’ award- winning smash hit THE BIG BANG THEORY. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance opposite Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant in Stephen Frears’ feature film Florence Foster Jenkins for Paramount. Helberg’s company Wildline Entertainment recently sold the half hour CIA workplace comedy Need to Know to CBS. Previously, Helberg wrote and co-directed the feature We’ll Never Have Paris. The film starred Helberg, Melanie Lynskey, Alfred Molina and Zachary Quinto and premiered at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival, where it sold to MGM. BRETT GELMAN Brett Gelman just completed a run in the titular role of TARTUFFE at the Huntington Theater Company for which he received rave reviews. His most recent film, “Lemon,” which he stars in and co-wrote with director Janicza Bravo, premiered to rave reviews at last year's Sundance Film Festival. The film was also the opening night film for the 2017 International Film Festival - Rotterdam with the high praise continuing through its screenings at the SXSW Film Festival. Brett is currently guest starring on Netflix’s award-winning series, “Stranger Things” and can also be seen as the brother-in-law on Amazon’s smash hit, “Fleabag.” Other recent projects include his return as ‘Dr. Greg’ on the new season of Judd Apatow’s critically acclaimed series, “Love,” and the release of his third comedy special for Adult Swim, “Brett Gelman’s Dinner in America." He can also be seen in the return of David Lynch’s hit show, “Twin Peaks.” VIVIAN BANG Vivian Bang is the co-creator, co-producer & star of the feature: “White Rabbit” which will premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2018. She was a series regular on TBS sit-com “Sullivan and Son,” for 3 Seasons & currently plays ‘Sun’, a North Korean building maintenance manager opposite Peter Stormare and Keanu Reeves on PopTV & Viaplay series: “Swedish Dicks.” Some of her best known works are her supporting role in Jim Carrey’s “Yes Man”, lead in “Boy Toy”, “Robot Stories”, “Little Black Book”, “Henry Fool”, voice work on “Memoirs of A Geisha”, and the Oscar-nominated short “Our Time Is Up.” Bang also recurred on ABC’s: “Better Off Ted,” as well as guested on TV series: “Get Shorty”, “Famous In Love”, “AtoZ”, “Kath & Kim”, “Numb3rs,” “Monk”, “Becker”, “The Corner”, “House,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Sex and the City.”NYU Tisch Graduate, Vivian was ‘Audrey’ in one of MTV’s first web series “Status Updates” available on Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, as well as Nina in web-series “MYTHOMANIA”, about the life of struggling comic book artists. KATE MICCUCI Kate Micucci recently appeared in THE LITTLE HOURS opposite Aubrey Plaza and John C Reilly, which premiered at Sundance. Also Mike Birbiglia’s DON’T THINK TWICE starring opposite Keegan Michael Key and Gillian Jacobs, which premiered at SXSW, Joe Swanberg’s anthology EASY for Netflix starring opposite Malin Ackerman and Orlando Bloom. Kate is co- creator and co-star of the group GARFUNKEL AND OATES who were named as one of Variety’s comics to watch in 2010. Television credits include recurring roles on the television shows: BIG BANG THEORY, RAISING HOPE, THE GUEST BOOK, ANOTHER PERIOD, BORED TO DEATH, ‘TIL DEATH and SCRUBS.